Behavioral and physiological changes in children with Down syndrome using mechanical and chemomechanical (Carisolv) caries removal methods.

This study compared behavioral and physiological changes during caries removal in children with Down syndrome when using a chemomechanical caries removal technique (Carisolv) and a conventional method of caries removal. Twenty children (ASA class 1) between 5 and 12 years of age participated in the study; 10 subjects had Down syndrome and 10 were healthy controls. The behavioral and physiological assessments were carried out during five stages of dental treatment: (1) 5 minutes before local anesthesia; (2) during local anesthesia; (3) during caries removal; (4) immediately after restoration; and (5) 5 minutes after the end of the treatment. The caries removal step resulted in the greatest behavioral and physiological changes. Except for oxygen saturation, statistically significant differences in heart rate (p<0.05) were recorded between children with Down syndrome and the control children.